Blood Motif In Macbeth

Angelina Yang

Mr. Hayes

World Literature I 4/8

16 February 2023

Blood in Macbeth: The Driving Force of Insanity

Blood, whether one sees its scarlet hue or smells its metallic scent, is vital to the body and suffocates the mind. Throughout William Shakespeare’s tragic drama, Macbeth, Shakespeare explores Macbeth, a Scottish nobleman, and his journey after receiving a fateful prophecy, in which he is destined to become Thane of Cawdor and eventual King of Scotland. Shakespeare's deliberate use of motifs throughout Macbeth’s strife, such as blood and sleep, provides a deeper insight into the fascinating psychology of the protagonist, his wife, and several other characters. Through Lady Macbeth’s implied suicide and Macbeth’s descent into madness,

Shakespeare employs blood to accentuate how guilt ultimately drives Lady Macbeth’s implied suicide. Between Macbeth receiving the initial prophecy and the death of Banquo, Lady Macbeth does not actively exhibit any remorseful qualities, such as guilt or regret. However, before the final battle, she subconsciously reveals her fears, acting and speaking in her sleep. Holding a taper, she repeats an “accustomed action” of “washing her hands”; she agonizes that her “hands [will] ne’er be clean” no matter what “perfumes of Arabia” she uses (Shakespeare 5.1.24-25, 5.1.37, 5.1.43). Contrary to the once ambitious and assertive character, Lady Macbeth is now plagued by anguish; she stresses that the blood of Duncan, Banquo, and Macduff’s family will never fully wash out–she is unable to cleanse her hands. Her obsessive washing alludes to her subliminal guilt; although she does not express conventional apologetic qualities, she is haunted by her inner turmoil. She not only fears that someone will uncover her schemes but also worries that Macbeth will lose power on the throne. Lady Macbeth

As Macbeth approaches the unsuspecting king Duncan, he hallucinates a floating dagger aiming towards the king’s chamber, which he yearns to clutch. In his mind, the “false creation” of the blade is smothered with “dudgeon gouts of blood” (Shakespeare 2.1.38, 2.1.46). The blood-stained dagger, a premonition of Duncan’s death, causes Macbeth to question the border dividing fantasy and reality. The idea of murdering his king frightens him, yet he voluntarily reaches out to the murderous weapon. He proceeds to kill Duncan in cold blood, before realizing the weight of his actions. As he returns to Lady Macbeth, announcing his successful murder, he explains how even the “great Naptune’s ocean” cannot “wash this blood / clean from [his] hand[s]” (Shakespeare 2.2.63-64). In contrast to Lady Macbeth’s subconscious response in Act 5, Macbeth openly displays his guilt, describing how an ocean cannot erase the blood (sins) from his hands–he further goes on to explain how his hands would even stain the water. Blood, in this case, refers to his physical stains as well as figurative guilt. He compares the two to emphasize the magnitude of the mental deterioration; while water can easily remove the stains, it cannot wash away his actions. Despite killing Duncan, he denies the consequences, acting paranoid and becoming increasingly suspicious. His guilt